Chevy | Pattern Review

I recently made Andrea Mowry's Chevy hat for my sister, Natalie. She is always asking me to make her a cute hat, and I always tell her I am too busy knitting LGH merchandise. A Christmas surprise seemed perfect.

I really enjoyed this pattern. It was easy to knit, but just complicated enough I had to pay attention to each round, so I was never bored. The stockinette and knitting in the back loop added a nice texture.  The hat was slouchier than I expected. I added a big pom, because poms. 

This was the first time I used the Twisted German Cast On and I'm hooked! It just feels a little more sturdy and looks nice. I've started using it on my Little Grey Heart hats. Once you get the hang of it, it's about as fast as the Long Tail Cast On. 

I used Madelintosh Tosh Vintage in Candlewick. It was a great choice. The color was beautiful and the slight variation of color worked great with the pattern. 

I am absolutely in love with Andrea Mowry's patterns and can't wait to knit another one. 

A New Year, A New Hat!

2015 was a great year at Little Grey Heart. I fine-tuned the design of the product. I knitted and sold so many hats. I also participated in Market Day, which was so much fun and a huge success. Thank you for all the support. It means the world! 

I am so excited for 2016 and all the possibility that comes with a new year! I have a ton of ideas for new merchandise. I hope to participate in more events where I can sell merchandise and meet and greet with my customers. I think it's going to be an exciting year. 

In honor of the new year, I am excited to announce a new and adorable line of hats at Little Grey Heart... Game Day Hats! Game Day Hats are available in all sizes, newborn, baby and adult. If neither University of Iowa nor Iowa State is your school, order a Game Day Custom Hat, and I will get your school colors knitted up for you. 

Market Day!

Market Day is 63 days away! I have been hard at work planning out my booth and knitting like crazy. Market Day, for those who aren't familiar, is a curated pop-up market featuring local makers, artists and collectors selling handmade goods and vintage finds. It originated in 2009 to help shed light on all the cool people making cool things in Des Moines. I am excited (and nervous!) to be participating this year. I will be selling handmade knit hats, blankets and cowls. Market Day will take place in Capital Square on November 27th from 9 AM - 5 PM. Mark your calendars! 

Sheep Blankie

Hello! I am excited to be writing my first blog post of the 2015 knitting season. Of course I have been knitting all summer, but I took the summer off from blogging. I wanted to get organized for this fall. I have a lot of exciting projects and adventures in the pipeline and I can't wait to share them!

I want to start the season off with a very special project I worked on last spring. When I learned my cousin Brooke was expecting her first baby, I was thrilled. I wanted to make something special for them. I bookmarked this Sheep Blankie forever ago. It felt like the perfect occasion to finally make it. She didn't know the sex of the baby (she had a boy!), so I decided to go with grey. I know, big shocker. I love grey yarn.

I used Hikoo Simpliworsted for the yarn. I really love that yarn because it's so soft and it knits so nicely. It was a great choice. For the pattern, I had to purchase the book, Precious Knit Blankets for Baby. As it turns out, there are other cute baby blankets in the book besides the Sheep Blankie. The pattern itself was easy, but it was very time-consuming. Once I finished I had grey gingham fabric sewn on the back (I am not a seamstress) which I purchased from Purl Soho. I am glad I added the fabric. It gave the blanket a very finished look, and I think it will improve its durability.

I would make this blanket again, but it would have to be for someone very special, like Ben. <3 

EweEwe's Easy As ABC Raglan Baby Sweater Knit Along

I (finally) finished EweEwe's Easy As ABC Raglan Baby Sweater Knit Along (KAL)! I made the 12-month size and followed the pattern exactly. Doing my first sweater as a KAL made it feel obtainable. The pattern and the instructions were clear, the tutorials were helpful and the materials excellent. Even if you've knit a sweater before, this is a darling baby sweater and knits up very fast. I'm feeling eager to start another sweater now! Thanks for the lovely KAL! 

This Week On My Needles

Happy first day of Spring! My favorite spring picture today because, seriously. 

This week has been busy with all sorts of Little Grey Heart action. I finally finished EweEwe's Easy As ABC Raglan Baby Sweater Knit Along (KAL). I am very excited I knit my first sweater! It's just darling. I am also working a tea cozy for a friend who lives in Denmark with some awesome Malabrigo Arroyo in Piedras. It is lovely.

I bought a new knitting book, Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads. The patterns are so simple and pretty. It's a beautiful book, and I am trying to decide which pattern I should knit first.

I found out this morning I was accepted as a vendor at MarketDay! I am fired up! There are two events in 2015. One on May 16th and on November 27th (Black Friday). I am going to have a booth on Black Friday, not May 16th. Hats and mittens are awesome when it's cold, but aren't so good in the summer. ;-) I am excited to go on May 16th and check out the other vendors.

I am teaching Crochet 101 as a daytime class this spring on May 7th from 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM at Hill Vintage and Knits. It's a two-hour intro class. We will be crocheting a small washcloth. It will be a blast. 

Brightest Day Hat

I just finished up the Brightest Day hat. For the most part, I stuck to the pattern, and I am very happy with the final project. I used Cascade 220 Superwash Sport. I cast on 112 stitches to a size four, 16" circular needle and knit 1x1 rib for 15 rows, about two inches. I then switched to a size six, 16" circular needle. However, I did not increase, like in the pattern. Next, I knit six rows in the main color. When switching to the contrasting color, I knit three rounds before following the color chart. On the second round, I slipped the first stitch. Slipping the first stitch creates a jogless color change. I repeated the scallop two more times for a total of three with six rounds of the main color between each one. For the decrease, I followed the pattern but finished with 16 stitches remaining. I didn't want the hat to look too pointy. The hat is a little on the large/slouchy side. I will probably decrease by 8 (casting on 108 stitches) if I make it again. Thank you, Rain Knitwear Designs for the great pattern!

this week on my needles

Lately I have been working on multiple projects at once, which is not my norm. I am participating in EweEwe's Easy As ABC Raglan Baby Sweater Knit Along (KAL). It's going great. I seriously cannot believe how easy this sweater is. I have always felt intimidated to start a sweater, but this has helped break it down into easy steps. I'm not quite finished, but so far I love it. 
 

I'm also working on a double knit hat, which is a new technique for me. I learned how to double knit by watching a tutorial, Double Knitting for Beginners at New Stitch A Day. It's not a complicated technique, but it's a slow technique. It's hard to be slow. I'm used to whipping up a hat in a night or two, but this is taking me forever. However, it's so thick and has a nice finished look. 
 

This Saturday I'm taking a brioche knitting class at Hill Vintage. I'm excited to learn this technique. I love the look of brioche knitting. I hope it works up fast, and I can use it for a cowl. I would love to get a cozy cowl added to the shop next fall/winter. 
 

I'm teaching Granny Squares at Hill Vintage on March 4th. I'm looking forward to it, and if you're looking to learn a new crochet technique, it's going to be a great class. 

this week on my needles

This week has been so cold. It's been the week to wear all things knitted. I was out to dinner last night, the wind was fierce, and I found myself without a hat OR mittens. How does that happen?! I spend most of my days knitting hats and mittens. I won't let it happen again. 

This week I am just finishing up a new line of chunky hats with bit fur pom-poms. I'm using Cascade 128 Superwash, so they are so soft and cozy. I'm so excited to get them posted! Also, this week I placed an order for new yarn. I'm trying out Cascade 220 Superwash Aran and Cascade Souk. I can't wait to see the color combinations of the Souk.  I have a couple special orders and some patterns brewing for a new hat and some fingerless mittens. 

I'm looking forward to spending all weekend indoors and knitting my days away. 

Snowman Christmas Stocking

This season I knit a Snowman Christmas Stocking for an old friend of mine. She recently had her third baby and wanted a stocking that was similar to the other stocking she has for her family. I purchased a set of Mary Maxim Christmas stocking patterns, and I followed the pattern until the foot and then I switch to knitting in the round. However, if I make another stocking, I would knit the whole thing in the round. I would still use the Mary Maxim pattern for the color work. However, I would do most of it as duplicate stitch. I'm much more proficient at knitting in the round, which is why I would go this route. It was so fun (and a little intimidating) to make something that will be so special to her family. 

this week on my needles

These past two weeks have been busy! So. Much. Knitting. I have received loads of custom orders. It's very exciting but is keeping me very busy. I am working on three matching orders of hats, headbands and neck warmers, six koozies, a custom stocking, fingerless gloves and a Mr. Rogers sweater. For the hat, headband and neck warmers I wrote the patterns. I'm happy with what I came up with and will publish on the LGH down the road. I found a darling stocking pattern from a book, and I can't wait to get started on it. It has a ton of colorwork, which I really love. The weird thing about the stocking, it's knit flat. I'm not sure how I feel about not knitting it in the round, but I'm going to give it a whirl. 

I am also working on a new chunky hat with a big faux fur pom-pom. I don't think I will be able to finish them before Christmas, but it'll be a great hat for January. It's soft, warm and luxurious. 

Yesterday I finished up a photo shoot for some darling cable hats I'm going to be adding to the shop for the holidays. I wrote the pattern so I'll be publishing that on Monday and adding the hats to the shop on Wednesday. 

I purchased my very own ball winder and swift, and it arrived this week. I swear it's the best money I've spent in a long time. It's so easy to use and makes winding yarn a breeze. 

My winter class schedule is up at Hill Vintage. I'm going to be teaching three crochet classes; Crochet for Knitters, Crochet 101 and Granny Squares. The Granny Squares class I taught in November was so much fun. I'm looking forward to teaching it again in March. 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is enjoying the holiday season! 

this week on my needles

I kicked off my week by attending a Wool and the Gang workshop. It was so much fun. I recapped the snood we made earlier this week. 

I also taught a Granny Squares class at Hill Vintage this week. Granny Squares are quick to learn if you know just a few crochet basics. I was so pleased with how quickly everyone pick them up. We had a blast. I will be teaching this class again after the new year. 

I am busy with custom orders. I'm working on an adorable Christmas stocking, a bunch of hats, headbands, fingerless gloves, scarves and the cutest pair of leg warmers. I love making gifts for people! 

Next week is Thanksgiving?!?! I'm looking forward to cooking and spending the day with family and of course much knitting during my time off. 

this week on my needles

I spent this past week in Palm Springs, and it was awesome. I went for the Lullabot annual retreat, and I feel inspired and recharged. I got to spend a lot of time knitting outside, with coworkers and on the plane. I also shared Little Grey Heart with my coworkers. It was scary since they design and develop some amazing websites. It was great though. 

I also finished up my Cable Knit Hat series. The pattern is written, and I have five beautiful colors to add to the shop next week. I think it's a great hat, and I'm looking forward to adding both to the website next week. 

I also have my Granny Squares class next week at Hill Vintage. There are so many fantastic things to do with Granny Squares. There are a few spots left, and it's going to be a blast. 


Bow-dacious Baby Hat

I recently knit this darling baby hat for a friend to give as a baby gift. She gave me free rein to pick out any pattern I liked. It was for a baby girl, so I wanted something classic and sweet. The pattern is by Ewe Ewe, and I love it for it's classic silhouette, and it's sweet fair aisle design. The pattern also includes the Boston Whaler, which I'm definitely going to make for my next baby gift, girl or boy. 

this week on my needles

This week started off with KnitxMidwest. It was a little scary, intense, fun and inspiring. One of the reasons I attended was to meet people in the knitting community. So, I sat with some ladies I had never met. It was scary and hard, but I did it, and I am glad I did. I met some great people. It kicked off at 10:00 AM and wrapped up at 4:00 PM and I only took a couple of small breaks. It was intense but in a good way. It's hard to focus on one thing for that long. I worked on a pattern I'm writing for a cable knit hat. It was also fun and inspiring to be in a room with so many talented and creative woman who all share one passion. At the end of the day, I wish I had taken more pictures, but there are some great ones available from Hill Vintage. 

The rest of the week I worked on a pair of Really Quick Mitts I made for a birthday gift. I can't recommend these mittens enough. They are so fast, and they look great. 

I'm heading out tomorrow for Palm Springs for a week. I'm so excited to get spend time knitting outside in the sun, especially since the weather is supposed to turn cold in Des Moines this week.